


Snowy Days

by SomedayonBroadway



Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Alternate Universe - Foster Family, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Brotherly Love, Christmas Eve, Christmas Fluff, Modern Era, Snowed In
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:21:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27891439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomedayonBroadway/pseuds/SomedayonBroadway
Summary: Out of all of the places that Jack could be trapped in on Christmas Eve, this might actually be the worst.
Relationships: Crutchie & Jack Kelly, Racetrack Higgins & Jack Kelly
Comments: 2
Kudos: 22





	Snowy Days

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lunar-Eclipse412](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Lunar-Eclipse412).



> For Lunar-Eclipse412
> 
> So this request is about two years old. I feel awful that I didn't get around to writing it sooner, but here it is, friend!
> 
> Jack's snowed in at work, Race was snowed in at home and Charlie at his school. Jack is 18, Race is 17, and Charlie is 14.
> 
> Please enjoy!

Out of all of the places that Jack could be trapped in on Christmas Eve, this might actually be the worst. Well, maybe that wasn't true, but it certainly felt like it at the moment. The power was out, the phone lines were dead and it was beyond freezing. Jack already had his winter coat on along with his beanie and scarf and gloves and he was still sitting in the kitchen near the heated oven with his coworkers.

It had been three days and he was still here, with three of his coworkers, his boss and two customers that were still the biggest concern somehow. He supposed they were a sweet older couple. Ethel and Ralph. Ethel had offered to cook for them multiple times, but the cook, Todd, and his boss, Jacobi, refused. Jack truly felt horrible that they were stuck here, especially with his other coworkers, Morris and Oscar. Their uncle owned the joint. They both had jobs here and Jack always got stuck leading a shift with the world's most annoying and insensitive brothers.

As much as he loved everyone else here, those two were enough for him to crave a new job, not to mention a pay raise would be nice. With two growing teenage boys at home, it was nice to have a little extra cash rolling around. Sure, the money he got every month helped, but he was always looking for a way to make a little more money.

When his mind drifted back to his brothers he sighed, leaning his head back against the wall. He could vaguely hear Ralph talking with his boss about some old stories of how the world used to be. The old man seemed to be welcoming new generations and ideas, talking about how people had been so insensitive and unwelcoming to folks that were different from them. The world was changing, but it was slow and agonizing to watch the resistance of all of it.

The boy couldn't help but think about his brother Racer. Anthony "Racer" Isaac Higgins-Kelly. Two months ago, he'd walked into Jack's room fidgeting even more than he usually did. For a kid with ADHD, that was saying a lot. That's when he'd said it, that he was gay. Jack had been so scared for him as he promised that he'd love him no matter what but the thought of anyone hurting the kid for that killed him a little inside. It's true, they could live in worse places than New York for things like this, but the ignorance was still out there. He was glad to know that there were people from an older generation that would genuinely accept his brother.

Thinking about all of it just made Jack even more frustrated. It was Christmas Eve and he was here, away from his family. This was supposed to be their first Christmas after the courts finally gave Jack custody. This was supposed to be the year that things worked out.

Of course, he should've seen this coming three days ago when he'd woken up to a seventeen year old curled up next to him shivering feverish next to him. The poor kid had actually thought that Jack was about to let him get up and go to school.

Getting his other brother, Charlie, to school that day had been hell. The fourteen year old tried to insist that someone needed to stay home to take care of their brother but Jack insisted that he'd be home in just five hours and everything would be alright.

Three days later, Jack was beyond worried and there was nothing any of these people could do to take his mind off of his family.

"Hey, idiot! You gonna stare at the wall all day or are ya gonna get off your ass and help for a change?"

That voice is what pulled Jack from his thoughts. He slowly blinked up at Morris Delancey. "I'm sorry, which one of us is your boss?" he asked.

Morris rolled his eyes, knowing Jack couldn't fire him. Jack wished beyond anything that he could. The guy drove him absolutely insane. And his little brother was somehow even worse.

It looked like Kloppy and Jacobi were getting ready to start on dinner. Jack thought about the ham he'd bought to have tonight with his brothers. He wanted to start new traditions this year, like other families did. Opening one gift on Christmas Eve, watching movies, making cookies. He hated that his brothers were old enough to know the truth about Santa Claus. They'd never gotten that kind of magic as children. Fosters and group homes never could afford it. He just wanted this year to be special.

Glancing out the window, Jack saw snow falling down without a care, not knowing how much damage it had done at all. He hated how beautiful it looked. He hated how it would've been amazing to be snowed in if he were at home, if he didn't have to work and he could just be with his brothers and sit with them and give them the Christmas they deserved.

Charlie's school wasn't even that far away.

Looking down at his feet, Jack sighed before glancing around the room.

He could walk five blocks…

Okay, so maybe he'd underestimated how freezing it would be, but he wasn't about to stop now, not after the look Oscar had given him. The guy had such a brilliant way of calling people stupid without saying a word. Jack didn't care. Maybe he was stupid, but at least he wouldn't have to be there anymore.

Everything that he could see was frozen over. There were few people trudging through the snow just like him and he didn't care to look up and see their faces. He just wanted to be with the people he loved.

He breathed heavily, trying to use his own breath to warm his face as his boots sunk into the snow. He shivered, closing his eyes for a minute. That's when his shoulder bumped up against someone else.

His eyes snapped open. "I'm sorry—" Jack cut himself off when he was met with a familiar face. "Racer?"

Sure enough, big blue eyes shot up to him and his brother's trembling form was clear as day. "Uh…" was all the boy could say. Jack gaped at him. The idiot was out here in nothing but one of Jack's own old sweatshirts, jeans and a pair of old red converse. "H-hey, Jackie—" It was too late for him to protest as Jack was already wrapping his scarf around the boy's neck.

"Tony, what the actual hell?" Jack demanded. He was already giving the boy any warmth that he could. His gloves, his scarf, his beanie. Race looked like he was trying to protest but the older boy didn't care. They may only be a year apart in age, but Jack would stop at nothing to protect this boy. "You were sick at home with a hundred and two fever three days ago! You cannot be out here!"

"I don't have a hundred and two fever now!" Race tried to protest, but his voice was still raspy and his cheeks were pink from the snow. He looked sick to Jack. "I was just tryin' ta get ta the diner…" he croaked.

Jack sighed. "Kid…" he groaned, stripping off his jacket and wrapping it around the boy.

"Jackie, ya don't gotta—"

"Shut up, Racer," Jack insisted, guiding the boy further through the snow. He wrapped the boy up as best he could to keep him warm. "What the hell were you thinkin'?"

Race leaned into him as they walked. "I wasn't?" he offered lamely. "I mean, I was but also I wasn't… n'... I… I missed you?" He tried to sound innocent. He knew Jack might be furious with him. But he couldn't take anymore of Davey, the mother hen. David was their neighbor who'd gone over to check on him and had been smothering him for the past three days. Jack could baby him too, but at least Jack knew how to coax him into eating and bathing and all that. David just obsessively hovered until he did what he had to do.

Jack sighed and shook his head. "I missed you too, kid." It had been years since his brothers had spent a long amount of time apart. "Let's get you outta the cold."

The blond boy sneezed. Jack rubbed at his arms, beginning to freeze himself. He hated that this had happened, that this blizzard had ruined their first real family Christmas. It might've been the only one they got.

As ridiculously idiotic as Racer was, he was also really smart and he was getting accepted into college after college. He didn't know what would happen after that. Charlie was a social butterfly. It wouldn't be long before he was making friends, dating even. The kid liked to say that his bum leg would keep the hotties away but the boy was just too likeable to not be adored.

Jack didn't know what would happen next and it scared him. This stupid Christmas was supposed to be the one thing he could control.

Of course the weather had to come in and ruin everything. Maybe he just should've left the house that day.

He reached to press a hand to his brother's forehead. Race leaned away from the touch just as Jack's fingers grazed his warm skin. "Jack, I'm fine!" the boy insisted. "Just a little sick—"

"Racer, you could barely sit up on your own last time I saw ya," Jack scoffed. "You could make yourself really sick bein' out here, especially dressed like that!" He pulled his beanie further over his brother's blond curls.

"Okay, maybe I just barely escaped another hour of Davey spoon feedin' me broth— I love that man but sometimes I wanna strangle him," Race stated, shaking his head with a sniffle. "I'm feelin' a lot betta' now I just wanted ta see you… it's Christmas Eve…"

Jack sighed and leaned to press a kiss to Racer's head. "Yeah… I know how ta feel…" he sighed.

Then on they trudged through the snow.

Charlie sniffled as he curled up against his best friend and huddled under the blanket he'd been offered. Finch was nearly asleep beside him and it was hardly even seven yet. He supposed it was exhausting just sitting around and watching random movies all day while their teacher still tried to find ways to get them to think, but the boy couldn't help continuing to think about his brothers.

He knew there was no way any of them would be making it home for Christmas. One of his classmates had tried to walk out into the snow and had nearly gotten tackled by campus security.

No one was allowed outside. It was snowing hard.

Charlie sighed. "Hey… Finch, you want some hot chocolate?" he whispered, knowing they were giving out free hot chocolate and muffins in the cafeteria. Finch only nodded tiredly.

So Charlie pushed himself off of the ground and grabbed his crutch. He limped out of the small classroom, into the hallway and down into the cafeteria. Every classroom had something different going on. Some were just hang outs, others were playing movies, Christmas or otherwise and some were playing games. The teachers were trying their best to keep the kids' spirits up. It wasn't truly working. Some kids had already cried about not being home for Christmas.

Charlie, for one, was crushed.

He had been so excited about this year. There were so many presents under their tree and stockings hanging on the mantle in their apartment. He couldn't believe that he wouldn't be home this year, with his brothers.

Last year, Racer and him had been at separate foster homes. Jack had managed to see them on Christmas night but it wasn't until months later that they'd been allowed to move in with him. This year was supposed to be different.

Christmas had always been important to him. Christmas was supposed to be this magical time and, maybe he put more weight on it than he should. Maybe it was never going to be a magical time for him. The year certainly wasn't. But he tried to shake it off. At least he'd be with his friends. And his teachers. And the staff members. And the principal. With all the school rules and policies and only so many blankets to sleep with.

And Jack and Race who were being bundled up in the cafeteria.

Wait.

"What the hell?" Charlie called, moving so much faster all of the sudden. "Jackie? Racer?"

Some teachers were trying to pull a blanket around Jack's shivering form but the second he heard his voice, the young man was off and running. "Crutch!" he grinned as he scooped the boy up, off the ground. "Hey, kid!"

Charlie hugged his brother tightly as Racer rushed over to them and joined the embrace.

The three of them stood there together, shivering and holding each other tight.

Jack gripped onto his small, perfect little family. "Oh Merry Christmas, boys…" he whispered, kissing both of his brothers' heads.

Some teachers led them into their own little classroom and Racer got them hot chocolate and some crummy cafeteria food for dinner before they huddled together on a cot and fell asleep for the night.

Maybe it wasn't the Christmas they'd planned. But as long as they were together, Jack figured it was all gonna be okay.

Maybe they wouldn't have the traditions this year or the opening of presents on Christmas morning. But that was okay.

As long as he was with his boys, everything was okay.

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little Christmas fluff.
> 
> As always, thanks for reading! Make sure to tell me what you liked, what you didn't like, what you'd change or what you'd improve by leaving me a review! Love ya, fansies!


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